Cap-feeding device



Sept. 9, 1930. A. I. RISSER CAP FEEDING DEVICE Filed April 10, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 9, 1930. A. RISSER CAP FEEDING DEVICE Filed April 10, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill.

2720672 (i/ffizw [.izbsa 2 Patented Sept. 9, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR I. RISSER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO U. S. BOTTLERS MACHINERY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS CAP-FEEDING DEVICE Application filed April 10,

This invention relates to a threaded cap feeding device for bottle or jar capping machines, wherein means are employed for transferring caps from a hopper to the magazine of the capping machine in single and uniform positional arrangement.

This invention more particularly relates to such a device which handles threaded caps whose open and closed ends are of substantially equal diameter.

Feeding devices for crown bottle stoppers are well known, in which the flared skirted portion ofthe cap affords a non-rectangular profile. The separation and sorting of such caps can be accomplished by depending entirely on the external shape to properly function; but in handling caps whose 'rofiles are substantially rectangular, the pro le can not be depended upon to sort out or hold back the caps which are not faced correctly.

One object of my invention is to produce a feeding device that will speedily and effectively handle threaded jar-caps and the like, especially those which are substantially rectangular in elevation, or of a fiat, conical shape.

I accomplish this by a novel means in which I employ a movable receptacle or rotary drum having a grooved chamber into which the caps are urged by gravity, the bottom of said groove being uniformly alined with cap exit controlling pas-sageways,'said passageways being formed with a cap-engaging pro]ec- 'tion on one wall and cap-engaging abutments on the opposite wall coacting to allow the passage of a cap when facing in one direction, and arresting its passage when facing in the opposite direction.

Another object of my invention is to expedite the feeding of caps to a capping machine, because the amount of production depends primarily on the speed and effectiveness of the feeding device.

These objects will be better understood and other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following specification, claims, and the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an illustrative form ofmy cap feeding device.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of Fig. 1, with 1929.. Serial No. 354,012.

the channel cover plate removed and portions broken away.

Fig. 3 is a fragmental elevation of the left side of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a section taken substantially on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmental view taken substantially on the line 66 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 are detail sections with the caps in changed positions, taken on the lines 77 and 8 8, respectively, of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a developed section taken on the are 9-9 of Fig. 6.

Mounted upon a suitable support 1, is a hopper 2, into which is placed a quantity of closure caps 3. The caps 3 shown are of the flat, threaded type used on jars, and their side elevations are substantially rectangular. The hopper 2 has a perpendicular front side wall 4, which has a circular opening 6 at its bottom. The bottom wall of the hopper is sloped into the wall 4, for deflecting the caps toward the opening 6 in said wall. Extending from the wall 4 is a partition 8 projecting from the upper portion of the opening 6 into the interior of the hopper and extending downwardly to about the center of the opening 6. The purpose of the partition 8 is to form aconstriction between the interior of the hopper 2 and the opening 6, so that the amount of caps in the space between said partition and opening will be limited to a level not higher than the center of the opening.

The caps at the opening 6 of the hopper are brought into communication with means for separating and feeding them in uniform positional arrangement and in single order. This means includes a circular rotating receptacle or drum 16 disposed within the opening 6 and axially concentric therewith. The drum 16 is mounted upon one end of a shaft 18 rotatably mounted in bearings 20 and 22 formed in the wall on the far side of the hopper 2 and the partition 8, respectively. Mounted on the rear end of the shaft 18 is a drive pulley 24 having driven connection to a power belt 26. The drum is rotatable in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from the front of the hopper.

The drum 16 projects partly into the interior of the hopper, and the front portion extends outside thereof. The side 28 projecting into the interior is in'the form of a centrally conical ring whose central opening forms the receptacle inlet. The ring 28 has a flat outerflange 30, whose inner face is flush with the outer face of the wall 4 and whose peripheral edge closely fits within the opening 6. The outer side of the drum consists of a centrally conical disk 34 which has an outer flange portion 36 disposed opposite to and in spaced relation to the flange 30 of the ring 28. The central portion 38 of the disk 1 34 projects outwardly.

The disk 34 is that portion of the receptacle I to which the shaft 18 is connected. The ring 28 and the disk 34 are connected by means of pins 40 passing through their flat flange portions 30 and 36, respectively. Said pins are equally spaced and arranged in a circle concentric with the receptacle. The space between the flange portions 30 and 36 is about one and one-half times the depth of a cap, and the distance between the opposed surfaces of the pins 40 is a little greater than the greatest diameter of a cap. The pins 40 and the flange portions 30 and 36 form passageways, which will be later described.

Means are provided for transferring caps from the hopper 2 to the receptacle 16. This means includes deflecting or agitating blades 42 mounted in spaced relation around the inner angular surface of the side 32 of the receptacle 16 and inclined tangentially in the direction of the counterclockwise rotation of the receptacle. As the receptacle rotates, the blades agitate the caps about the opening 6, moving the caps upwardly and deflecting them into the interior of the drum.

During rotation of the drum, the caps are agitated and directed by the opposed, conical flange portions 32 and 38 into passageways 44 formed by .the flange portions 30 and 36 and the pins 40. v

The passageways 44 are provided with means for preventing a cap from passing therethrough unless the cap is faced as desired. This means includes a conical projection 46 on the inner face of the flat flange portion 30 of the passageway 44 and located between the pins 40. The space between the tip of said projection and the opposite face of the flange 36 is a little greater than the depth of a cap, and this prevents the passage of a cap unless it is facing the projection.

The passageway controlling means also includes conical enlargements or shoulders 48 on the pins 40. The base portions of the conical enlargements are adjacent to and abut the flange 36, and the ends of said enlargements are at a distance from the face of the flange 30 about equal to the depth of a cap.

The cap passage controlling action of the passageways is as follows: If a cap enters a passageway 44 with its open end facing in the direction of the conical enlargements 48 on the pins 40 (see Figs. 6, 7 and 9), the head end of the cap contacts with the projection 46, causing its open end to be caught on the opposed faces of said conical enlargements. The cap will then be carried around by the receptacle until it drops back into the center.

If a cap enters a passageway 44 with its open end facing in the direction of the projection 46, the leading edge of the cap will pass over and by the projection until the edge of its head end contacts with the conical enlargements 48 on the pins 40. The cap will then be moved toward the projection 46 by the camming action of the enlargements 48, causing the open end' of the cap to surround said projection, which allows the cap to clear said enlargements. 'Then, when the trailing edge of the-cap engages the projection 46, during further outward movement of the cap in passing (see Fig.

8), the trailing edge will clear said projection because the widest portion of the cap is then beyond the conical enlargements 48.

Projecting from the wall 4 at the left of the drum receptacle and enclosing the. upwardly moving side of the same is an arcuate flange 50. This flange prevents the caps from leaving the receptacle before they reach the upwardly moving or right-hand side, which is enclosed by the flange 51, also projecting from the wall 4". The flange 51 is evenly spaced the width of the caps from the edge of the receptacle and forms a channel 52 for. receiving the caps from the passageways 44 and holding the caps in arowj The channel 52 is covered over by the meme cover plate 53, securedto the flange.1-51,;and the lower edges of the flanges 50 and 51 co-operate to form a short vertical continuation 54 of the channel 52. The feed chute of the capping machine or other device is connected to the lower end of the chute portion 54, as will be understood.

In case the channel 52 should become filled with caps, as when the caps work their way through the passagewaysv faster than they are taken fromflthe channel '52,"or if; a cap becomes caught between the edges of the flanges 30 and 36, Iprovide. a finger" 55,

secured to the plate 4, best seen inFig- 2,

against the end of which the caps will strike 'niounted to rotate on a substantially hori- Zontal axis and having a circumferentially grooved chamber having cap exits, a projec tion in one wall of the exits, and abutments formed at the sides of the opposite walls of the exits co-operating with the projection for preventing the passage of a cap unless 'force' the open end of the cap is faced in one direction, and means forming a channel around the upwardly mov ving side of the receptacle for vreceiving the caps from the'exits.

3. In a feeder device for closure caps whose head and open ends are of substantially equal diameter, the combination of a receptacle rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis, said receptacle comprising a circular circumferentially grooved chamber, closure cap exit openings uniformly arranged in the bottom of said groove, one Wall of said openings having a cap deflecting projection, the opposite wall being provided with cap engaging abutments, said projection and abutments coacting to prevent the passage of a cap when facing one of said walls and allowing a cap to pass when facing the other said wall, and a channel way adjacent the upwardly moving side of said receptacle radially disposed of said openings for directing the caps.

4. In a feeder device for closure caps whose open and closed ends are of substantially.

equal diameter, the combination of a receptacle rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis, said receptacle comprising a circular circumferentially grooved chamber, closure cap .exit controlling openings uniformly alined in the bottom of said groove, one wall of said openings having a cap deflecting projection, the opposite wall having cap engaging abutments, said projection acting to a cap against said abutments when engaged by its closed end for arresting its exit, said abutments acting to cause the open end of the cap to surround said projection when engaged by its closed end to effect the passage of said cap, and a channel way located adjacent the upwardly moving side of the receptacle radial of said openings for directing caps.

5. The separator element of a feeder device for threaded receptacle caps whose open and closed ends are of substantially equal diameter, including two opposingly-dished disks mounted in spaced relation by means of equally spaced pins in their brim portions and arranged in a circle coaxial therewith, one disk being rotatably mounted, one disk having a cap supply inlet, said disks forming the cap receptacle, said pins and brim portions forming passageways for caps in fiatwise order, each pin having a cap engaging abutment adjacent the brim of one disk, each passageway provided with a cap engaging projection mounted on the brim of the other disk and located intermediate the pins of said passageways, the abutment and projection of a passageway coacting to arrest the passage of a cap when facing in one direction and coacting to permit its passage when facing in the opposite direction.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 2nd day ofApril, 1929.

ARTHUR I. RISSER. 

